Microsoft to Sponsor Ethereum Classic London Meetup

In an announcement on Slack, the Ethereum Classic London Meetup will be hosted and sponsored by Microsoft.

“Microsoft has been very kind in sponsoring this event. They are politically neutral and just care about how technology can be used for commercial and social good,” Ethereum Classic London meetup organizer, Avtar Sehra, told Ethereum Classic Slack members.

Sehra continues by saying this meetup is for the technology company to learn more about Ethereum Classic.

The meetup has scheduled Ethereum’s co-founder and Ethereum Classic supporter, Charles Hoskinson, to speak and according to the event’s site, Hoskinson “will talk about Ethereum, Ethereum Classic, and what his company is doing to further the ETC cause.”

Along with Hoskinson, the attendees will be able to have a friendly chat with a former Microsoft CTO. The meetup is scheduled for Friday, September 23rd from 7-10 pm.

Microsoft and Ethereum

For Microsoft, the sponsorship is not about picking sides for Microsoft, but more about supporting Ethereum in its entirety. Microsoft has been a supporter of Ethereum since it launched, and by partnering with ConsenSys in Oct. 2015, they were able to use Ethereum to provide development tools for those on the Microsoft Azure platform. Microsoft’s biggest Ethereum-based program, Project Bletchley, was also launched just a few days before the DAO hack.

The enterprising computer company has sponsored both Devcon events, but initially, the first sponsorship took some convincing. According to Marley Gray, Microsoft’s Director of Blockchain Business Development and Strategy, the Microsoft Corporation wasn’t too keen on sponsoring the first Devcon event. While speaking in front of Devcon2 attendees, he joked that he had to do “horrible things” to get them to agree, yet this year, there was no battle.

Microsoft’s decision of sponsorship should be a welcoming one, and truly showcase Ethereum’s advance into wider adoption. Since the fork, Microsoft has not stated which side they will support, yet it’s become clear from last year’s public announcement to support Ethereum, they’re welcoming this new innovative technology in all its forms.

Microsoft has remained agnostic throughout the hard fork and split chain ordeal. While it’s clear that Microsoft can utilize Ethereum as a platform, they’re also willing to support and nurture Ethereum Classic and their endeavors. Microsoft has a proven track record of supporting pioneering technologies that present major potential.

New Hampshire native, Danielle Meegan, is a writer based in Los Angeles. She has been published in a couple of sports and entertainment magazines and newspapers throughout the years and has dabbled with multiple virtual currency exchanges to understand the 'ins and outs' of trading. Danielle has invested in over 15 different virtual currencies, including Ether.